Command Decision

The alert sirens awoke Calhoun from a dream, in which he bare-breasted fought a wild Thrazcha-beast in some kind of arena. As he had pushed the sword into the creature to the hilt, he looked up at the crowd, and saw Lt. Tyler standing there, cheering for him. She threw a handful of rose pedals to him, and as his hand closed around them, he sat up in his bed, with the sirens in his ears. A few seconds later, the call came over the intercom.

Hash, Or Lt. Takahashi, the science officer (so named because his name was to long to shout in a crisis situation - and based on the fact that he made the best corned-beef hash you would ever taste) called from the bridge:

"YELLOW ALERT! CAPTAIN TO THE BRIDGE!"

Grumbling, Calhoun climbed out of bed and grabbed his uniform, which lay in a crumbled heap on the floor. He looked at the clock next to the bed - it was 02.12.

"This better be important!", he muttered to himself, as he pulled on his pants. With his uniform top in the hand, he sprinted for the turbolift. A few of the officers stared after him, as he passed them, his naked chest glistening with the perspiration, he had worked up in the dream.

In the turbolift, he met Miranda, his half klingon operations manager. Her uniform was a little damp, and her hair clung to her face and scalp in wet curls. She looked at him with her dark eyes, as she adjusted her uniform and wiped a bit of white foam of her neck.

"Taking a shower, Ensign?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Alone?"

She looked at him, longer this time.

"I don't see, that's any of your business, Sir."

"All right. I just wondered, if I still had a chance."

She smiled, and led her eyes wander across his upper body.

"As long as you walk around without your shirt on, you'll always have a chance...Mac."

Calhoun quickly pulled his shirt on, and the reddening of his cheeks could be the result of the fabric sliding over his face.

The lift arrived on the bridge, and Calhoun stepped out, with Miranda close behind him.

"Captain on deck!", Hash exclaimed from the command chair, as he rose to greet Calhoun.

"All Right, Hash. It's 2 in the morning, and I'm not in the mood for protocol. Now, what was so important?"

"There is a ship approaching, bearing 2-4-5 mark 0. They hailed us about 10 minutes ago, but they made it very clear, they would only speak to the captain."

"All right, put them on screen. And stand down that alert - we don't want to appear hostile."

Calhoun adjusted his uniform one last time, brushed the hair out of his face, and looked at the viewscreen.

"I'm Mackenzie Calhoun of the USS Independence. To whom do I have the honour of speaking?"

An image of a red-skinned male with large glowing multifaceted eyes appeared on screen. He stared at Calhoun with an expression of contempt.

"I thought, I made it absolutely clear to you. I wish to speak with the captain!"

"I'm the captain of this vessel. What do you want?"

"But you are only a child! How can you be in command!"

Calhoun closed his eyes. A headache was beginning to throb behind his eyes. He always got headaches when dealing with people, who asked stupid questions.

"The story of our vessel is quite long, and frankly I'd rather not tell it right now. What can we do for you?"

 "I am Zi Cuan of the Nallonian Empire. You are in violation of our space!"

Calhoun looked at his conn officer, Lt. Chandra. She shook her head.

"I was not aware, that we had crossed into your space. There did not seem to be any markers indicating it."

"In other words: I don't see your name on that chair!" Hash whispered to Rollins, standing at tactical. Rollins hid a smile with the back of his hand, but a moment later returned to his board. The readings of that other ship...could it really be true?

"Of course there are no markers. Nallonian space changes from day to day, as the battles are fought!", Zi Cuan snarled.

"Zi Cuan...we mean you no harm. We are just travellers passing through your space. Our home is very far from here, and this seemed like the most direct route. Is there anyway, we could be granted the permission to pass your space?"

"Too late for that now! You have violated our borders, and must face the consequences. You will power down your weapons and follow me to Nallon, where you will be convicted for trespassing and high treason!"

"High treason? What do you mean?"

"You have brought an armed starship to our space. That qualifies as treason!"

Rollins from tactical suddenly looked at Calhoun.

"Captain...can I have a moment?"

Calhoun gestured, and the audio was cut. He moved to the tactical station, and looked at Rollins.

"What is it, Ensign?"

"Sir, that ship...it's armed with laser cannons and two concussion devices. They could hardly scratch our navigational shields!"

Calhoun smiled, so the scar on his face was stretched like a snake in the sun. Then he turned back to the screen, and gestured to communications. The channel was reopened.

"Listen, Zi Cuan. As I said, I'm the captain of this ship, and I'm not used to being ordered around, and particularly not by someone in a so ridiculously outgunned position as you. Now, we are going to continue on course, and make every effort to avoid Nallonian planets. That much I can promise you. But I'm not about to let my crew stand trial because of some silly little border patrol, who wants to make a name for himself".

Zi Cuan looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.

"You...you are an aggressor!"

"If I was an aggressor, you would already be free floating molecules, Zi Cuan. Now, I bid you fare well. End transmission!"

The screen winked off, and Calhoun stood up.

"Resume course for the Alpha quadrant, Lt. Chandra. Avoid populated planets for the next 10 light years or so. We want to keep our promise. You have the bridge, Hash. I'll see you in the morning."

Calhoun strode towards the turbolift, but turned around just before the doors opened.

"Oh, and Miranda?"

"Sir?"

"You missed a spot!"

Calhoun disappeared, while the others looked wondering at Miranda, as she rubbed the back of her neck vigorously...

Calhoun made it back to his quarters, but he did not lie down again. Instead, he asked for a light drink from the replicator, and sat down in a chair. He did not have to wait long before the door chimed.

"Come."

Jennifer Glenn, his second in command walked in, her red hair a mass of moist curls around her head. She did not look like she had been sleeping. Rather, it looked like she had been working out in the ship's gym. She was wearing a sleeveless training shirt, and black spandex pants. Around her arms and around the forehead, she wore sweatbands.

She looked at him, her eyes cold as ice.

"Is it true?"

"That depends on, what you want to ask me about, Jenny."

"Don't act like you don't know, what I'm talking about. Did you just threaten a official border vessel, and told them they could......"Go fuck themselves" ?"

Calhoun smiled. Roomers travelled faster than warp 10 on this ship.

"Maybe not in as colourful words...but essentially, yes."

"Permission to speak freely, Sir!"

"Always."

"Damn it, Mac, you know as well as I, that that ship could very well have some very larger older brothers, who will be coming to beat us up, when they hear we've picked on their little brother!"

"I hardly think any empire would have so low-gunned vessels patrolling their borders, if they had larger warships laying around. They are simply some small-time civilization, which just made it into space and are fiercely proud of it. Maybe their weapons are advanced enough to hold the other races in this sector at bay - but I see no reason for us to jump wwhen he says frog."

"The reason is, that it's Starfleet's policy! We are supposed to be explorers, diplomats, and peace-loving people. It's not our way to punch right though another species' territories, just because we feel like it. That's just not Starfleet procedure!"

Calhoun sat his glass down, and stood. Standing face to face with Glenn, he looked her straight in the eyes. He sensed that she almost took a step back, but held her ground. He liked that.

"Look, commander. I realize, that it's not exactly by the book. But we are not in a position to do everything by the book. We are alone in unfamiliar territory, with possible enemies all around us. Starfleet rules and regulations are made for perfect conditions. It's a captains job to assess the situation, and do what he thinks is right, according to the given information - both the regs and otherwise. I do, what I think is best for this ship and this crew. Is that clear?"

Glenn blinked.

"Perfectly....Sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

Glenn walked towards the door, then stopped.

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"Do you wish me to stop telling you the regs, Sir?"

Calhoun smiled. He hid it with the back of his hand.

"No, I don't, Jen. I want you to keep me on my toes. As you always do."

Glenn smiled, but with her back to Calhoun.

"Aye, Sir."

She left the room.

As the door hissed shut behind her, Calhoun downed his drink and went back to bed.

He had wanted her to stay. It was hard getting used to not being able to make a pass at her...much less not being able to kiss her and hold her tight. A few weeks ago, they had had dinner on the holodeck - one thing had led to another - and suddenly they were outside her quarters, kissing.

They had broken apart with a loud SMACK! and both of them scanned the corridor with nervous eyes, to find out if anyone had seen them.

Her eyes had been very large and very beautiful, when she told him goodnight and closed the door behind her. He had been standing outside the door, trying to make up his mind on whether he should ring the bell, until ensign Patterson came around the corner. He had set of at a brisk pace, walking back to his quarters with a very empty feeling in his stomach.

The next day, she had entered his ready-room, and laid out the facts as she saw them. They could never have a relationship, as long as they were the commanding officers of this crew. It just would not be right. He had told her, he agreed.

He had lied.

Suddenly, he snapped awake from his semi-dream state. Glenn's voice came over the intercom:

"Captain Calhoun? You might want to get up here. The older brother has just arrived!"

As he entered the bridge, Glenn moved from the command chair to her own seat next to it. Hash was back at his science station, but Miranda had apparently decided to stay on the bridge. His helmsman, Lt. Chandra, was at her post and already performing an evasive maneuver to avoid the enormous ship in front of them.

Calhoun sat down in his chair, and tried to comprehend the gigantic mass, that loomed in front of them.

It was easily the size of 5 galaxy class starships, but without the smooth, swanlike grace of a federation ship. The surface seemed to be composed of gun-ports, torpedo tubes and massive shield generators. It had a yellow-brown colour, that reminded Calhoun of a banana going bad.

"They are hailing us!", Miranda reported from her consol.

"On screen, lieutenant!"

The screen image changed to the bridge of the other ship. A large humanoid of the same species as Zi Cuan looked at them with a smug satisfaction on his face.

"Captain Calhoun, I presume? My border patrols has told me SO much about you and your ship."
"I'm captain Calhoun, yes. And you are?"

"Garth Lokt, commander of the gunship "Kubai". And I am your judge, jury, and...if you do not cooperate - your executioner!"

The bridge crew exchanged looks. They were all the best of the best - trained for this kind of work. But they were also children, who now faced a superior enemy. To their credit, no one broke down.

"I see. What do you wish us to do?"

"You will lower your shields and surrender your vessel to the nallonian empire. You will be transferred to the holding cells on our ship, and will be taken to our homeworld for trial and conviction."

"I take it the charge is trespassing and high treason, and the sentence is death?"

"You are very persuasive, captain."

Calhoun nodded, as if taking the information in. Then he looked at the screen.

"I'm sorry, Garth. I can't allow this crew to be captured and killed in your prison. It just would not be right. We are starfleet - and we never surrender! End transmission!"

The screen winked of.

"They are locking weapons on us, Sir!", shouted Miranda.

"Lt. Chandra, evasive pattern delta four!"

The young woman at the conn obliged, and the Independence suddenly veered away in a corkscrew maneuver, just ducking under the first volly of weapons fire.

"They are using some kind of plasma weapons, captain", Glenn shouted, " If they hit us, we won't be able to take more than a few shots:"

"Understood. Miranda and Hash - scan for that ship's weak point. There has to be something!"

"Initiating pattern theta-nine", Lt. Chandra commented, and the deck lurched, as the inertial dampers tried to keep up.

"Return fire!", Calhoun shouted.

At once, two phaser beams lanced out from the Independence's saucer, and hit the enormous enemy ship.

"Minor damage to forward shields. They are holding", reported Hash.

"Sir, I think, I've got an idea!", Glenn called out.

"What is it, commander?"

"If I'm not mistaken, their shields are of the same type as a klingon ship. They operate on several frequencies at once. But they can't do them all at the same time!"

Calhoun's face went from angry defiance to clear resolve in a matter of seconds.

"Lt. Chandra, keep evading them for a few seconds. Then take us directly along their y-axis, as low as you can. Bridge to phaser control!"

"Phaserbay here."

"I want you to fire on that ship. Continuous beam. Start at your lowest possible setting, and work your way up, until we cut through those shields like butter!"

"Holy cow! ...I mean: Aye, Sir!"

The Independence banked sharply, and raced towards the enemy. The phasers lanced out, struck home and the beam began to shimmer, as the frequencies changed.

Suddenly, like a hot knife in a well hung steak, it cut right through.

A gigantic explosion rippled across the hull of the enemy ship. The shields buckled and vanished.

"DIRECT HIT!", shouted Miranda, and cheers rose from the rest of the crew.

Lt. Chandra brought the ship about, and they could se the hull begin to buckle several places.

"Hail them, Hash."

 On the screen, the face of Garth Lokt had changed. Now, he displayed not confidence, but fear.

"You have disabled our ship! How is that possible?"
"Because when you choose to fight, you fight to win. And the best way to do that is to defeat your enemy completely. However...I'm not a cruel man, although people sometimes think differently. We will extend our structural field around you, so your ship will hold together while you make repairs - if you can guarantee us free passage through your space!"

Garth Lokt looked defeated.

"I will grant you that, captain. Please help my crew."

" Our medical team will beam onboard to help you shortly. But no tricks - or the deal is off!"

"No tricks. I am a man of honour, captain. And so are you, I see."

The screen winked off.

"Stand down red alert. Bridge to sickbay - Doctor, please prepare the nurses for an away mission. We will beam the worst of them over to you. Miranda, coordinate with their ship to optimize results. I will go take a shower."

Calhoun rose, and looked at Glenn.

"You have the bridge. But if you disturb me before I'm done with my shower, I'll demote you to ensign!"

The bridge crew smiled, as Calhoun left the bridge. He smiled as well.